Welcome to Dublin Kendo Kobukai
Learn Authentic Japanese Weapon Arts

You know the feeling.

The moment Obi-Wan ignites his lightsaber and you feel something stir. The scene where Kenshin or the Blue-Eyed Samurai draws, and the whole room goes quiet. The Highlander..."There Can Only Be One". The samurai standing alone in the rain, perfectly still, perfectly ready - and something deep in you thinks: I want to know what that feels like.

You've felt it for years. 

Maybe decades.

And then Monday comes around, the inbox fills up, the commute happens, and somehow - again - it doesn't.

What if this September, it actually did?

Iaido is the ancient Japanese sword art of drawing, cutting, and resheathing the katana - the art that sits at the heart of every samurai film, every anime swordfight, every moment of cinematic stillness that ever made the hair stand up on the back of your neck.

It is also, as it turns out, one of the most genuinely transformative things a busy professional can do with 75 minutes of their week.

Not because it will turn you into a warrior (though the footwork alone will do things for your posture that years of gym sessions didn't).

But because Iaido asks something of you that almost nothing else in modern life does:

Complete, undivided, present-moment attention.

No notifications. No performance reviews. No traffic. Just you, a training sword, and the oldest question in martial arts - am I truly here, right now, in this moment?

Students consistently describe their first session the same way: they walked in as an accountant, a teacher, a project manager, a parent - and for 75 minutes, they were simply a student. 

Focused. 

Calm. 

Alive.

"It turned out to be something I didn't know I needed." — Amanda, DKK Beginner, now 1st Dan.

You do not need to have held a sword. You do not need a martial arts background. You do not need to be fit, flexible, or fearless.

Every single piece of equipment you need will be provided by Dublin Kendo Kobukai for the duration of the beginners course. You show up. We handle the rest.

The curriculum has been designed from the ground up to take a complete beginner — regardless of age, fitness, or background — through the genuine foundations of ZNKR Iaido in ten structured weeks.

By the end, you will understand the history and philosophy of the art. You will know the etiquette of the dōjō. You will be able to draw, cut, and resheathe with correct technique. And you will be eligible to sit your first official grading — which is included in the course at no extra cost.

We'll let Amanda say it, because nobody says it better than a student who had no idea what they were walking into:

"We were met not just with a warm welcome, but enthusiasm, genuine passion for sharing not just skills but meaning and experience, openness and kindness, patience, and constant support and encouragement.

It was a whim decision when Facebook threw the ads at me last January. The algorithms actually... did good? Scary. But it turned out to be something I didn't know I needed. So I'm looking forward to more. More learning, more skill, more sore knees, more laughter, more joy, more kata than you can shake a jo at...

So thanks again — and you've definitely got things right with the current beginners class offering."

- Amanda, DKK Beginner, now 1st Dan.

The Beginners Course requires no prior preparation, but we encourage you to read our Iaido beginners manual in advance of your first class, well send that on to you in PDF upon registration. Please be aware that while this course is directed at beginners, Iaido is still a physical activity, and therefore you should inform yourself of the risks involved (particularly if you have any existing medical conditions).

Dublin Kendo Kobukai will provide you with all the equipment needed for the Beginners Course, and we recommend that you attend practice in comfortable sports clothing. There are changing facilities at all of our training locations.

Ordinary price: €80
Discounted price (students or unwaged): €60

Payment instructions are provided in the registration form. You will receive confirmation of your registration prior to the start of the course, in addition to a complete outline of the course.

That is ten weeks of expert instruction, all equipment, your first grading, a 60-page training manual, and a 240-page sword guide worth €29 — for less than €8 a session.

For context: a single personal training session in Dublin typically costs more than the entire course.

This is not marketing language. The course is deliberately kept small - five students - because Iaido cannot be taught well in a crowd. Every student needs individual attention, especially in the first weeks.

There are 5 places available in total across both locations.

When they are gone, they are gone. There will not be a waiting list that quietly becomes a second intake. The next opportunity to begin will be the next course, sometime in 2027.

Registration closes Friday, 28th August 2026.

If you are reading this and feeling that familiar pull - the same one you've felt every time a lightsaber ignites or a samurai draws - this is the moment to do something about it.

Spaces are strictly limited. Fully Booked. Registration is closed!

The following are some recent clips from our seminars and public demonstrations. 

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